U.S. patent number 4,085,745 [Application Number 05/768,598] was granted by the patent office on 1978-04-25 for elastic support for the veins of the foot.
Invention is credited to Santiago S. Alenares.
United States Patent |
4,085,745 |
Alenares |
April 25, 1978 |
Elastic support for the veins of the foot
Abstract
A vein foot support is made of a two-way stretch elastic
material which is shaped to ensure the application of a
substantially uniform supportive pressure of predetermined
magnitude on the venous system in the tarsal and metatarsal areas
including the dorsal venous arch and the medial marginal and
lateral marginal veins below the ankle.
Inventors: |
Alenares; Santiago S. (Miami,
FL) |
Family
ID: |
25082941 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/768,598 |
Filed: |
February 14, 1977 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
602/63;
602/66 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
13/064 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
13/06 (20060101); A61F 013/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/165,166,166.5,156,167,8R ;2/239,240,241 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Yasko; John D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Barnett; Erwin M.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A foot sock for supporting the superficial veins of the foot
formed of a two-way stretch elastic fabric material comprising a
modified tubular body having a front toe opening and a top ankle
opening, each with a finished border, said tubular body having a
relatively straight configuration extending between said front and
top openings along an upper side thereof defining a dorsum portion
and an irregular configuration along the bottom side defining a
metatarsal enlargement, an arch constriction and a heel
enlargement, when in operative position on the foot said toe
opening positioning the border thereof along the base of the toes,
said top ankle opening being located to position the border thereof
to extend above the heel at the lower part of the Achilles tendon
and forwardly in a substantially horizontal direction along both
sides of the foot passing just below the lateral malleolus and on
the opposite side at the same level spaced below the medial
malleolus and to curve upwardly across the dorsum just below the
angle of the ankle, said dorsum portion cooperating with said
metatarsal enlargement, said arch constriction and said heel
enlargement to exert a uniform support pressure of a predetermined
magnitude on the superficial veins of the metatarsal and tarsal
areas of the foot including the medial marginal and lateral
marginal veins.
2. The foot sock support defined in claim 1, in which said tubular
body is knitted as a unitary seamless structure.
3. The foot sock support defined in claim 1, in which said tubular
body is formed from sheet material folded substantially in half and
joined in a seam extending along the sole of the foot and the rear
of the heel between said openings.
4. The foot sock support defined in claim 1, in which said
predetermined magnitude is on the order of 25mm Hg.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an elastic foot support and in particular
is directed to such supports for preventing and alleviating
problems resulting from dilated veins of the foot in the metatarsal
and tarsal areas below the ankle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It appears desirable for persons whose occupations and activities
require standing on their feet for relatively long periods of time
to protect themselves against the consequences of excessive
dilatation of the superficial venous system of the foot.
Consequently there is a need for a simple, inexpensive, sanitary
and efficient means for affording such protection.
The various prior art arch and ankle supports and braces, being
directed to correct conditions and afford protection relative to
the muscles, tendons, bones and joints of the foot and ankle, are
not adaptable as vein supports. Likewise, elastic stockings and
anklets, including those custom-made for therapeutic purposes, have
been found to be ineffective in supporting the superficial veins of
the foot below the malleoli by failing to apply pressure where
needed most and often to aggrevate the condition by applying
excessive pressure in the wrong places, for example, around the
ankle above the malleoli where the pressure acts as a tourniquet,
hampering the upward flow of venous circulation from the foot.
This failure of the various prior art devices is due primarily to
the lack of provision for the anatomy of the ankle and the
location, with respect to the protruding malleoli, of the large
superficial veins of the foot, namely, the medial marginal and the
lateral marginal veins which collect the blood from the foot
through a collateral network and become the great saphenous and
small saphenous veins, respectively, as they emerge above the
ankle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Among the objects of the invention is to provide a vein foot
support constructed to exert a precise and uniform supportive
pressure of predetermined magnitude to the superficial veins of the
metatarsal and tarsal areas of the foot below the ankle without
interference from bony protuberances and anatomical depressions
between such protuberances and the anterior and posterior tendons,
which vein foot support shall be inexpensive to manufacture by
conventional methods from a two-way stretch elastic material either
in a variety of sizes or custom-made to individual measurements,
which shall be comfortable to wear under regular stockings or
socks, be washable and be reliable and efficient in use.
The invention features a supportive structure made of a two-way
stretch material, sized and proportioned to extend from a front
opening having an elastic border for completely encircling the foot
at the base of the toes, along the sole, enclosing the heel and
extending upward across the dorsum, that is, the instep, to a top
opening also having an elastic border. The latter surrounds the
foot just below the ankle, that is, in the rear, the border extends
across the lower part of the Achilles tendon, then forwardly on
both sides across the medial and lateral aspects just below the
lateral malleolus and at the same level on the medial side. The
border then curves upwardly across the dorsum, reaching up to but
not beyond the angle of the ankle joint. The fit of the vein
support on the foot is such that the two-way stretch elastic
material is expanded to exert a substantially uniform compressive
force of predetermined magnitude. In this regard a uniform pressure
on the order of 25mm Hg. has been found to be both comfortable and
render satisfactory results.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the lateral side of a right vein
foot support embodying the invention removed from the foot.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the medial side of the right foot
showing the vein foot support of FIG. 1 in operative position.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lateral side of the right foot
shown in FIG. 2, and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top front of the right foot
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring in detail to the drawing, 10 generally denotes a vein
foot support or foot sock, constructed to embody the invention,
which is supplied as a right and left pair but is illustrated
herein with respect to the right foot. When not in operative
position on the foot, support 10 is seen in FIG. 1 to comprise a
modified tubular body having a front toe opening 11 and a top ankle
opening 13, both openings being provided with suitable finished
edge borders 12 and 14, respectively. The tubular body has a
relatively straight configuration extending between openings 11 and
13 along the upper side defining a dorsum portion 15 and an
irregular configuration along the bottom side defining a metatarsal
enlargement 16, an arch constriction 17 and a heel enlargement
18.
The invention contemplates vein foot support 10 being made of a
suitable elastic two-way stretch fabric, that is, a fabric having
equivalent elasticity along perpendicular axes, for example, the
elastic material used in elastic hosiery and the like, and may be
knitted as a unitary sleeve in the well known manner, or may be cut
from a sheet of such elastic two-way stretch material to the proper
pattern configuration, and as will be clear from FIG. 1, folded
along dorsum portion 15 and joined together by an appropriate seam
19 which extends along the bottom between openings 11 and 13.
Seam 19 serving as a joint and borders 12 and 14 serving as a
finished edge to avoid tearing or unraveling are formed so as to
provide elasticity substantially equivalent to that of the elastic
fabric of the body of foot support 10 and not to create any
constrictive or binding force.
Vein foot support 10 is sized and proportioned to the individual
foot to exert a compressive, superficial vein supportive, uniform
force of pressure of predetermined magnitude upon the metatarsal,
tarsal and heel areas of the foot below the ankle. As seen in FIGS.
2, 3 and 4, when in operative, stretched position on the foot,
support 10 extends from border 12 of toe opening 11, which
surrounds the foot at the base of the toes, rearwardly to encircle
the metatarsal area and extend across the dorsum or instep to just
below the angle formed by the dorsum and leg when the foot flexes
in walking. Support 10 surrounds the tarsal area which includes the
arch and heel, completely enclosing the latter and terminates in
top border 14 seen to extend above the heel at the lower part of
the Achilles tendon and forwardly in a substantially horizontal
direction along both sides of the foot passing just below the
lateral malleolus L and at the same level and, therefore, spaced
below the medial malleolus M, which is seen in FIG. 4 to be located
slightly above the lateral malleolus L with respect to a horizontal
plane. Top border 14 then curves upwardly across the dorsum not
quite reaching the angle as hereinbefore described.
A feature of the invention is the ability of vein foot support 10,
due to its particular fit to the foot as hereinbefore described and
shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, to exert a uniform pressure on the
superficial venous system of the foot including the plantar
cutaneous venous net-work (not shown) located in the fat beneath
the heel, the plantar cutaneous venous arch (not shown) in the
sole, the dorsal venous arch DVA, the medial marginal vein MM which
above border 14 becomes the anteriorly positioned great saphenous
vein GS and the lateral marginal vein LM which becomes the
posteriorly located small saphenous vein SS. The positioning of
border 14 below the lateral malleolus L and medial malleolus M
permits the uniform support pressure to be exerted along the medial
marginal vein MM and the lateral marginal vein LM thereby
correcting the inadequacies found in vein supports which cover
these bony protuberances of the ankle, and by reaching just short
of the hereinbefore mentioned angle of the ankle, border 14 avoids
the wrinkling of the fabric at the ankle, particularly in walking,
which has also been found to give rise to an undesirable irregular
constriction mainly affecting the medial marginal vein MM.
The foot sock for supporting the superficial veins of the foot
herein disclosed is seen to achieve the several objects of the
invention and to be well adapted to meet conditions of practical
use. As various possible embodiments might be made in this
invention, and as various changes might be made in the disclosed
structure, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth
and shown in the accompanying drawing are to be interpreted as
illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *